SSAB in the community

In locations where SSAB operates, the company plays a significant role in the local and regional community as an employer, taxpayer, buyer of regional goods and services, and charitable benefactor. Contributing to the communities in which we operate is an integral part of the way we do business.

Active engagement in local communities

SSAB strives to develop and maintain good relationships with various stakeholders in our society and actively engages with the communities in which we operate. Local community engagement is defined by each site at the local level. In addition to our own employees, SSAB engages with politicians, regulators, media, the general public and people who live near our production sites.

SSAB is also an important partner for local educational institutions and research. We offer extensive opportunities for internships and thesis projects to college students.

SSAB also works with local environmental regulators on site-specific issues. In addition to ongoing collaboration with local authorities, SSAB also works together with cities and associations to monitor environmental conditions such as air quality and waterways.

Every year, SSAB hosts important visitors from the community, such as students, customers, subcontractors, government officials, inspectors and regulators.

SSAB creates economic value that is distributed to various stakeholders in society, such as our shareholders, investors, suppliers, employees, the public sector (through taxes) and communities (through local community projects, sponsorships and donations). The economic value is reinvested in the company for strategic and maintenance investments, R&D and other investments to cultivate our ability to create additional value.

Supporting local activities in Sweden and Finland

In the communities in which SSAB operates in Sweden and Finland, we contribute to creating a wide range of recreational activities in which SSAB’s employees, their families and also the local community can participate. Examples include sponsorships of local sports organizations and exchange of knowledge with schools. SSAB also supports associations in which employees are involved, primarily within sports and culture.

Strong community involvement in SSAB Americas

SSAB Americas has a long tradition of community involvement. This takes place not only in the form of financial contributions, but also through participation in various initiatives or support projects.

One of the largest organizations supported by SSAB is United Way, a charitable organization which supports the needy through donations, education and volunteer work. Employees’ contributions are matched by the company.

Another example is SSAB’s Foundation for Education, a charity program through which we donate funding of at least USD 100,000 each year to local schools in Alabama, money that is raised through the recycling of scrap tires for use as a raw material in steel production in Mobile. Employees and local partners in Mobile also come together every year for the Fill the Bus program, to collect donations of school supplies for local children in need. In Montpelier, Iowa, SSAB’s employees sponsor and support The Make-a-Wish Foundation, an organization which aims to realize the dreams of sick children. Support from the company in Montpelier also goes to The Community Foundation of Greater Muscatine, which supports smaller organizations and charitable projects in the region.

Donations to SOS children’s villages organization

SSince 2012, SSAB has been working with the SOS Children’s Villages organization to support different charity projects. This appreciated initiative continues and, during the year, SSAB made a donation that was also SSAB’s Christmas gift to our employees in Europe. The donation supports the running of a family center in Brovary outside of Kiev, Ukraine. In the center, support is adapted to the needs of each family, and the aim is for children to grow up in a safe and loving environment.